It's Official: Starbucks is Returning to Morristown

Starbucks is coming home.

Less than a week after it was announced , the Seattle-based coffee giant that once occupied a space in the former Epstein's department store until five years ago is set to occupy a similar space by the end of the summer. This time, it will be on the corner of the 40 Park luxury condo development that was built in the former Epstein's location.

"It's exciting to be able to bring back an old tenant who existed in Morristown previously," said Debra Tantleff, of Roseland Properties, which manages 40 Park. "It's kind of where they were before in the old Epstein's building."

The 2,100 square foot Starbucks will join the other businesses that have already opened or are planning to open soon at 40 Park, including fellow national companies and the , as well as locally-owned restaurants and Urban Table, both owned by Harvest Restaurants.

"We're very excited to have another national retail tenant joining our other tenants," Tantleff said. "It further complements the downtown urban lifestyle. They are going to make full use of the space."

Rumors of an eventual return of the java giant have persisted ever since Starbucks closed in 2006. When Tantleff , owner Dave Walters said he was not particularly worried. "My thought is, it's not going to affect us over here," he said. Walters noted one of SmartWorld's three locations, in Denville, is located across the street from a Starbucks and "we do just fine." SmartWorld opened its South Street location near the time Starbucks left Morristown.

Jason Czura, owner of (which opened in October 2007) along the Green, however, had said Starbucks could have an effect on his business. "It'll impact business for sure, it's another competitor," he said. Still, Czura noted his coffeeshop–part of a small Virginia-based chain with only two New Jersey locations–had become part of the Morristown community. "You could not ask for a better location," he said.

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